General Forum

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

Mindphaser — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:05:05 GMT

My top three:

1) Beloab PENTA

2) Beolab 8000

3) Ex aequo Beolab 400 and Beolab 2500

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

egoh — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:50:45 GMT

1) Beolab 4500

2) Beolab 8000

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

Sal — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 06:08:46 GMT

My opinion: Beolab 8000, and the Beolab 5's. the 8000 is surely an iconic design, but the BL5s are sure to head that way as well.

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

piocrony — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:32:35 GMT

I own BL 8000,6000,4000 and 3500

for me 3500 win

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

hilton — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:55:45 GMT

i love the BeoLab 7.1 as they are small and powerful.

when i had it for my BV7 32" the Beolab 7.1 can fill the whole room with sound and it has a down firing sub.

the Beolab 7.1 is way better then the BL8000 ,BL 6000 , BL 4000 ,BL4 because its a 3way speaker.

i have owned most B&O speakers but not beolab 5 & 9 (one day i will)

Also you can not go past the penta's they (MK3) are the best speakers i have ever owned.

i think its even better the the beolab 1, for me the bass is better in the pentas .

i know its a big call but that is what i feel.

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

AdamS — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 08:29:50 GMT

jjcox:

I'm surprised the BL6000 hasn't been named yet! I've always loved the design and after 20 years, they still look incredible. From the sleek design to the nice design touches (like the mirror on the footplate, which gives the speakers the illusion of being round, while in fact they're a bit flat), I've always been in love with them.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I think the BL6000s are by far the best looking loudspeaker that B&O have come up with and I can't help thinking that I'd even prefer the 8000 if it simply resembled a scaled-up 6000.

Some interesting options though - personally the BL4000s don't do anything for me.

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

camshaft — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:40:17 GMT

Pentas - they just have that look of old B&O power.

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

Peter — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:44:29 GMT

And I actually run Pentas with a BL2. However the reproduction of music is not as good as using my M100s as the bass notes appear very one dimensional - plenty of thump but not that much detail. the BL2 is hampered by the ABRs which muddy the sound. Brilliant for LFE - not so good for music.

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

pf85 — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:35:34 GMT

Peter :

The problem with column speakers is the small size of the bass speakers. I am afraid a good big one will always beat several good small ones. The speakers which seem to be most popular are the 8000 and 5000, both of which are always going to be limited by the engineering compromises in their design. They are unexpected looking because no sane person with audio quality paramount would start from there!! The Beolab 5 is far more promising. (...)

I don't disagree, however, in conjunction with a BL2, this conceptual "issue" can be overcome. To me a loudspeaker has to have both functional as well as visual appeal, hence my choice with BL1 and Penta.

In the end, the positive ownership experience of a quality loudspeaker with the promise of longterm serviceability may be there for most of us who enjoy B&O, regardless of what actual model we vote for.

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

beocool — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:14:03 GMT

TripEnglish:

But the BeoLab 3s are the size of musk melons and don't cost a lot when you factor in their amps. But when you play them in a room with the right setup they absolutely defy any expectation that their size, price, or power could have set.

True. I replaced my Beolab 3's with Beolab 5's a few months ago. Love the 5's but I'm still not used to their size. Sure, 5's are small compared to other speakers with the same performance, but still they take up quite a lot of space. In short when the music is turned off I miss the 3's.

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

Evan — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 19:35:32 GMT

I think I will vote the 8000s as the most beautiful. A very hard decision - all of the speakers are really good looking.

This thread does make me very proud of my BL5000s! They will most likely be my new favorite once I find a more suitable environment for them.

As far as vintage goes, the 2500 is the absolute zenith. However I am practically in love with the way my 2600s look. The long and thin proportion is pretty rare for that era - making for a very interesting look, I especially like the fret work on it.

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

Peter — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:29:35 GMT

The problem with column speakers is the small size of the bass speakers. I am afraid a good big one will always beat several good small ones. The speakers which seem to be most popular are the 8000 and 5000, both of which are always going to be limited by the engineering compromises in their design. They are unexpected looking because no sane person with audio quality paramount would start from there!! The Beolab 5 is far more promising.

Looks are obviously subjective - the case could be compared to cars: if the object is to be able to transport 4 people from one place to another, a Ferrari would possibly be the most beautiful way to do it, an original Mini would be the most efficient, and a Mercedes E class probably the most sensible . Some would say that the Mini design was very beautiful as form follows function.

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

Pauliander — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:19:27 GMT

pf85:

Beolab 1 ahead of the Penta's.

Looks like the great days of the tall column speakers are over...

Yes totally agree!! although I'm not sure which ones to place first, the beolab 1 or the pentas? They remain both very impressive in all regards! Might prefer the pentas in the end. You know I am dreaming of a new slightly modernized version of the pentas (with BL5 alike impressive sound capabilities) to fit into a classic Italian design interior...

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

koning — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 10:57:37 GMT

Come on, they look like pinquins!

Re: Most beautiful B&O speaker ever built

Dave — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 06:53:13 GMT

I think as time goes on the BL9's will shove their way to the front of the line, they are so clean.